Tampa students demand: No ICE on their campus!

Tampa, FL – On May 1, Tampa Bay’s Students for a Democratic Society held a rally in response to University of South Florida police’s plan to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The contract is an agreement between the University of South Florida Police Department and ICE that allows officers to enforce immigration laws under 287(g). This would allow police officers to detain, question and arrest students or faculty suspected of being undocumented.

Though the agreement has not been signed by ICE officials, it should be noted that it was USFPD who initiated the agreement.

Throughout the country, students have been speaking out against their university’s police departments collaborating with ICE. As students of USF, members of SDS says the school’s cooperation with ICE is unsurprising.

“USFPD and USF administration have shown us time and time again that they cannot be trusted to support their student body,” said an SDS member, referring to the lack of transparency on how many student visas were revoked. SDS’s own member, Joseph Charry, was suspended and unable to transfer to another school, which resulted in him leaving the country.

Joined by 30 community members, there was a strong sense of solidarity against the Trump administration’s suppression of free speech on college campuses. Sights at the protest read, “Education not deportation,” “Hands off vulnerable communities” and “ICE off campus.”

Students demanded that USF establish itself as a sanctuary, which would involve protecting its immigrant student population from ICE agents entering the dorms and communal spaces without a warrant, and the school not sharing a student’s immigration status without need, and other such forms of security.

With many students involved in pro-Palestinian protests being threatened with deportation, there has been a national spotlight on how schools respond to the use of ICE to suppress student protests.

Despite the ongoing crackdown against immigrants and protests, the sentiment at the event was one of solidarity and endurance. The students and community alike made plans for future actions and had a call-in to the university demanding more information on the student visa denials. The struggle continues, but students remain committed to tracking their universities’ efforts and are determined to ensure there is a base of voices supporting their immigrant community.

#TampaFL #FL #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS